Study of the kinetics of carboxymethyl cellulose synthesis in a screw reactor

The object of research is the reactor for the synthesis of carboxymethyl cellulose. An important indicator of the quality of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, which determines the field of its application, is the degree of polymerization. However, obtaining a product with a specific parameter under industrial conditions is associated with a number of difficulties. Therefore, important research tasks are the development of a mathematical model of the kinetics of carboxymethyl cellulose synthesis, experimental studies to determine the rate constants of synthesis reactions, modeling of a screw reactor for the synthesis of carboxymethyl cellulose, and computer studies. When studying the kinetics of reactions of carboxymethyl cellulose, one of the possible approaches was to use a quasi-homogeneous model, which is widely used in modeling processes on a catalyst grain. This approach is used to describe and analyze individual stages; however, a number of difficulties arise in heterogeneous reactions of cellulose. In the course of these reactions, the properties of the solid phase change and the processes, respectively, are unsteady in time. The reaction does not take place on the surface of hard particles, but in the entire volume of the fibers. The concentration and reactivity of cellulose hydroxides, water, and products formed during the reaction remain approximately constant; therefore, the use of a quasi-homogeneous model is quite acceptable and does not cause additional mathematical difficulties. As a result of these experiments, according to the obtained integral curves, the method of least squares was used to find the constants. To determine the values of the kinetic constants, an experiment was carried out in an integral isothermal reactor. During the experiments, the degree of substitution of carboxymethyl cellulose and the concentration of free alkali were measured. As a result of numerous implementations of the search task, the values of the constants and activation energies were obtained. This kinetic modeling approach can be used in the synthesis of other cellulose ethers. The rate constant of the synthesis reaction depends on the process conditions. Using the proposed approach to describing the interaction of cellulose with a reagent, the reaction mixture considered as a quasi-homogeneous system can be described using a single-phase flow model.

Impact of the Addition of Pyrolysed Forestry Waste to the Coking Process on the Resulting Green Biocoke

The suitability of the charcoal obtained from woody biomass pyrolysis in a continuous screw reactor at 573, 773, 973, 1173 K temperature profile as fuel and reducing agent in metallurgical applications has been evaluated, in order to reduce the CO2 emissions in these processes. On the one hand, a comparative study between charcoal and commercial reducers has been carried out. On the other hand, different proportions of this charcoal have been added to an industrial coking coal blend and carbonized together in a semi-pilot movable wall oven, to study the influence in the plastic and mechanical properties of the produced biocoke. The charcoal obtained fulfills the requirements to be used as fuel and reducer in non-ferrous processes where no mechanical strength is required, like rotary kilns, in substitution of fossil reducers. Its higher heating value (>32 MJ kg−1) is in the range or over those of fossil coals, with the advantage of not containing polluting elements (S, N) and having less ash. The addition of up to 0.9 wt.% almost does not affect the quality of the biocoke; but the addition of ≥2 wt.% degrades the biocoke mechanical and plastic properties below the demanded requirements. Moreover, biocoke reactivity seems independent of the amount of charcoal added.

Continuous tannin extraction by use of screw reactor

A pilot-size screw reactor (extraction unit) was used for tannin extraction of spruce. Yield of the same magnitude or better was obtained when comparing a screw reactor with batch reactors. A longer presoaking time in water seemed to be better than a short one for obtaining higher yield. A higher yield is obtained with lower dry-water ratio, which suggests that the internal diffusion in bark does not determine mass transfer as much as is the case without presoaking of bark. The higher dry-water ratio decreased the yield. The prior soaking of the bark also minimized the mechanical reactor feeding problems (clogging). The benefits of a screw reactor likely are that run time changes for different process conditions are flexible; it simplifies design and construction of an industrial unit for tannin production; and it saves space because of the need for fewer and smaller intermediate storage tanks.